The present invention relates to a picture based psychological test, in particular a computer based implementation of the test and a system for automation of at least part of the test.
It is well known to apply various psychological test instruments when it is desired to determine a person""s resources, behaviour, etc, such as:
A questionnaire, i.e. a multidimensional multiple choice language based test instrument forcing the person under test to select among different statements or to answer yes or no to a number of statements,
A multiple choice picture based test instrument forcing the person under test to select between a certain number of pictures (e.g. like or dislike),
An open picture based projective test instruments, e.g. Rorschach""s inkblot test, asking the test person to describe what the person under test perceives. Later, this is categorised in relation to two or more predefined psychological characteristics,
Showing live or on video the interaction between people and rating non-structured and semi-structured observations of the interaction, e.g. observing interactions between a mother and her child using the rating of Strange Situations.
Each of these known test instruments applies a range of well known psychological characteristics relating to their respective field of use, e.g. human resource, psychiatry, social counselling, etc.
It is a disadvantage of the language based questionnaires that, typically, they are rather difficult to understand leaving an uncertainty concerning the tested person""s interpretation of the questions. Further, they may be very long and comprehensive due to a desire of covering many aspects demotivating the person under test.
It is a disadvantage of the multiple choice picture based test instruments that they focus on static situations, typically the faces of a person, a group of colors, etc, without elements of interaction.
The open picture based projective test instruments have ambiguity relating to the interpretations of the answers of the person under test leading to ambiguity in the later categorisation of the answers.
Rating of observations has ambiguity relating to the interpretation of the person under test of the ongoing interaction in the observed situation.
Thus, there is a need for a psychological test that is non-verbal, picture based, easy and quick to perform, that motivates the person under test, and that fulfills the scientific requirements of a psychological test.
According to the present invention the above and other objects are fulfilled by a dynamic picture based multiple choice test. The test may be used for the purpose of identifying a person""s preferred way of interacting with other people. For example the test may be used to obtain knowledge of and describe relations within a family, a working team, a sports team, a study class, a political party, a religious community, etc.
It is an important advantage of the picture based test that it provides knowledge of human relations and interactions quickly, directly, and objectively.
It is another important advantage of the picture based test that it is non-verbal so that it is independent of the language used by the person whose relations and interactions are investigated with the invention. Further, it is easier for a person to relate to a picture than to a verbal statement.
Preferably, the pictures are culturally neutral so that they may be used all over the world.
A person whose preferred way of interacting with other people it is desired to determine is also called the test object, and a person who is undergoing the test is called the person under test or the test person. The test objects preferred way of interacting with others may be determined based on test results from the test object itself in combination with test results from other relevant persons. Thus, the person under test may be the test object or may be another person that has interacted with the test object.
In one embodiment of the invention, the four most important psychological characteristics of interactions and relations within a family have been identified, and the test provides information of the extent to which a person acts according to one of these characteristics.
During the test, the person under test is presented with a first picture of a first situation. Thereafter, the person under test is presented with a set of second pictures of respective second situations, e.g. four pictures of different second situations. The first situation and each of the second situations form a respective sequence of situations wherein the respective second situations may precede or succeed the situation depicted on the first picture. Then the person under test is asked to select the second picture that he perceives to have the most obvious relation to the first situation. For example, when the second situations succede the first situation, the test person selects the second situation that he perceives to be the most likely to occur after the first situation. The selection performed by the person under test may provide information on that person""s preferred way of interacting with other people, or, it may provide information on that person""s perception of another person""s preferred way of interacting with other persons For example, information on a parents preferred way of interacting with the person""s at least one child, or, a childs perception of one of the child""s parent""s way of interacting with the child may be provided.
In another example, information on a leader""s preferred way of interacting with the leader""s at least one subordinate, or, a subordinate""s perceptions of the leader""s way of interacting with the subordinate may be provided. Likewise for a teacher and the teacher""s pupils.
The selections performed by the tested person may be input to a computer for processing of the selection for provision of an output charaterising the test object.
During the test, the person under test is presented with a plurality of first pictures and corresponding sets of second pictures.
In an embodiment for studying relations and interactions within a family, it is presently preferred to present the person under test with 24 first pictures and corresponding 24 sets consisting of four second pictures. The pictures depict a family in various situations. A parent under test is asked to select a second picture depicting the situation that the parent perceives most likely to precede or succeed the first situation in question. The parent""s selection provides information on how the parent prefers to act in specific situations. Likewise, a child under test is asked to select a second picture depicting the situation that the child expects to succeed or precede the first situation in question thereby providing information on how the child perceives the interactions of the parents.
The first and second pictures may be adapted for use with persons of different age, i.e. a given set of first and second pictures may be used for testing a parent while a different set of first and second pictures may be used for testing a child between 3 and 7 years old while a still different set of first and second pictures may be used for testing a child between 8 and 15 years old.
According to the invention, interactions within a specific group of people, such as a family, a team, a study class, a political party, a religious community, etc. are described by a specific number of specific psychological characteristics. During the test, information is provided on the extent to which a person""s interaction has the specific psychological characteristics.
The psychological characteristics have the same level of abstraction, they do not compete with each other in the description of human behaviour, they describe sustained human behaviour and they can be visualised.
For example, the psychological characteristics used to describe interactions within a family are focus, empathy, flexibility, and energy.
Focus indicates whether the parent focuses on the parent""s own person or whether the parent focuses on the child. Empathy indicates whether the parent is primarily emotional or intellectual in the interaction with the child. Flexibility indicates whether the parent makes decisions on the basis of the actual situation, or whether the parent prefers to act according to existing rules and principles. Energy indicates the level of activity or passivity in the parent""s interaction with the child.
It is preferred to select one psychological characteristic as a reference and relate the other psychological characteristics to the selected reference. For example, energy may be selected as a reference for focus, empathy, and flexibility, respectively. Thus, the person""s energy in relation to different aspects may be determined, typically the energy is quantified in two levels: high and low, however more than two levels may be used if appropriate.
Energy may be plotted along a y-axis in a system of co-ordinates, and each of the other characteristics along an x-axis, thereby creating three respective co-ordinate systems for characterisation of a person""s interaction in a family. Each of the first pictures may relate to a specific co-ordinate system, i.e. to a specific psychological parameter in relation to energy and a plurality of first pictures may relate to the same co-ordinate system for improvement of the statistical significance of the responses of the person under test. For example, three sets of eight first pictures may be shown to the person under test wherein each set of eight pictures relates to the same respective co-ordinate system. Further, each of the four second pictures in a set of second pictures may relate to a specific quadrant of the respective co-ordinate system. This is further described below. A test with 24 first pictures may be performed in less than an hour.
Having completed a test, the selections performed by the person under test may be transmitted to a computer for processing. The test results may also be stored in a database. The database may also hold results from other tests, and the database may hold other data relating to the persons under test. The computer may combine the data stored in the database to provide or support an evaluation of a given person. Further, the computer may search for and select a person with data in the database. The computer may provide a general description of the resources of a person and may provide a description of possibilities for development of the person. Further, the computer may suggest one or more supervisory strategies for selection by a psychologist, e.g. to be undertaken in a treatment or counselling program.
A psychological profile is a compilation of a person""s preferred way of interacting with other people under certain circumstances, e.g. as parent, leader, priest, coach, teacher, etc, described in terms of the psychological characteristics used. Each set of pictures relates to a combination of psychological characteristics, one of which may be, for example, energy. The selections of the person under test are compiled into a psychological profile of the person whose preferred way of interacting with other people, it is desired to determine. In the profile, all the characteristics used in the test are related to each other.
The means for performing the test may comprise a ring binder holding the first and second pictures, a manual, and a scoring scheme to record the selections of the person under test. The selections recorded in the scoring scheme may be transferred to a computer that processes the recordings to provide a test result, e.g. a psychological profile, a general description of the resources of a person, development possibilities of the person, etc, as previously described. Further, the selections may be recorded on a home page on the Internet and the recordings may be transferred using the Internet to a computer for processing and to a database for storage.
In an embodiment of the invention, 120 pictures are provided grouped into 24 items each of which consists of one first picture introducing a specific situation and four second pictures one of which is to be selected by the person under test as the one of the four second pictures that has the most obvious relationship with the respective first picture as previously described. The five pictures of an item may be positioned on a single sheet that is inserted into the ring binder so that the person under test may look at all five pictures simultaneously. Each item relates to a specific combination of two psychological characteristics, such as focus and energy, empathy and energy, or flexibility and energy and in the previously described co-ordinate systems, each of the second pictures of an item relates to a specific quadrant in the co-ordinate system. The items are ordered randomly in the ring binder.
As already mentioned, one embodiment of the invention is adapted to be used for determining human interaction within a family having at least one adult with the responsibility to bring up at least one child. The test may be used in situations where a quick and valid determination of the preferred way of performing as a parent is required, for example if a family crisis is under development.
The test may be utilised by professionals, such as psychologists, psychiatrists, adoption authorities, legal authorities, etc, in family therapy and family counselling or other social counselling.